Azure Lord
The Azure Lord is a mythological entity worshiped by the Brothers of Blue. Its worship has never been especially popular, but it has always managed to mostly escape persecution by other religious sects simply by its quiet, low-key style. Description The Azure Lord is said to be descended from the stars, which, according to its teachings, comprise the "bottom" of the Void. Its form shifts easily, but is almost always described as "shimmering", and always possesses some shade of blue. Examples include the smallest pebble in a great river, a broken sword, a brick of glowstone, and, most often, a noisy insect of some kind. The symbol of the Azure Lord is a shimmering blue cricket, or sometimes a cicada. The Azure Lord never speaks and, despite its title, is genderless. It only communicates through song, save in the somewhat controversial Song of the Cormorant, a psalm in which a fisherman is scolded by a withered old woman for working in such dreary weather. Dogma The Azure Lord's teachings are simple and broad, and are often boiled down into very plain rules (sorted by the importance the Brothers of Blue ascribe them). 1. Killing is an abomination, but so is a life held onto unnaturally. 2. "Physical" sicknesses are less important than sicknesses of the emotions or mind. Misery is an affliction like any other, and its victims should be treated with the utmost compassion. 3. Music is necessary to fight misery. 4. Impairments of the self are meant to be overcome. Thus, men shall resist their innate aggression and take up the flute, while women shall exercise beyond their physical limits and raise up the quarterstaff. Men shall join the Brothers of Blue, and women shall wander, defeating (but not slaying) enemies of the innocent and oppressors of merriment. The sexes shall not lie together unless the Azure Lord wills it. 5. Those born with mental abnormalities are tests of our generosity. They are not our equals, but to treat them as anything less is a sign of low self. 6. Let medicine be medicine. Do not addle your mind with it, lest you become a test of generosity. 7. There is magic seemingly more powerful than that of tune and rhythm, but in the end it is no less a distraction than dance, drugs, or intercourse between sexes. Only the magic of music matters. Worshipers The Azure Lord is primarily worshiped by those from the Old World and, therefore, Voldrania. The worshipers of other monotheistic gods, such as Renol, have often clashed with followers of the Azure Lord, but for the most part they fought each other into extinction. Male followers of the Azure Lord are called "Brothers of Blue". Female followers are called "Sisters of the Cudgel". The Azure Lord's policy on intercourse between sexes does not extend to homosexual pairings (which are actually fairly encouraged). As such, a large percentage of the Brothers and Sisters are non-heterosexuals hailing from regions that were less than tolerant. This has given the Brothers of Blue and Sisters of the Cudgel a somewhat unsavory reputation in those regions. Magic of Song The Brothers of Blue (and, to a lesser extent, the Sisters of the Cudgel) have mastered a means of channeling magic through music. Through rhythm and tune, they can conjure up extremely long-lasting magics. For instance, the abbot of the Brothers of Blue is said to have castrated himself in order to maintain a perfect soprano. He was once seen using his voice alone to channel the heat from an entire forest fire into a nearby lake, evaporating almost all the water and ending the blaze instantly. Category:New Voldrania Category:Voldrania Category:Old World Category:Religion